A Different Kind of Super Bowl Uniform

By Paul Lukas, on January 28th, 2014

Click to enlarge

Several New York-area Uni Watch readers have mentioned to me that they’re volunteering for the Super Bowl Host Committee. One of them is Jeffrey Jacobs, who’s a volunteer team captain for various events during this week. He asked if I’d be interested in seeing his uniform, and of course I said yes. Jeff, take it away:

All volunteers received a large box. Inside the box were a yellow baseball cap, gloves, headband, mock turtleneck shirt, and three-in-one jacket, along with two gray fleece scarves — one with a New Jersey logo, the other a New York logo [for all of these photos, you can click to enlarge]:

In addition, I am a Volunteer Team Captain, and as such received a gray shirt and gray three-in-one jacket with “Team Captain” printed below the Super Bowl Host Committee logo:

———

Good stuff — thanks, Jeff. The thing I find most interesting is the Visa logo on all the gear. As we reported in the Ticker last week, Visa has just unveiled a new logo, but the logo on the volunteer attire isn’t quite the new logo or the old one — it’s sort of a hybrid of the two:

Meanwhile, in case you’re wondering: Jeff asked permission to share these photos with us, and that permission was granted, as long as it was clear that he was acting as an individual and not as an official of the Super Bowl Host Committee. So let the record show that that’s the case.

Jeff isn’t the only Uni Watch reader who’s volunteering for the Host Committee. Here’s Alan Kreit in his Host Committee (if you can’t see the slideshow below, click here):

Alan will have more to say about his Super Bowl Host Committee experience after the game is over — stay tuned.

+ + + + +

Sox sleuthing: Got a note the other night from Keith Olbermann, who wanted to know the story behind this photo of Eddie Stanky (click to enlarge):

A few things about that photo:

1. Stanky managed the Chisox from 1966 through ’68. But the Sox only wore that road uniform in ’66, so that has to be the year the photo was taken. And as you can also see, the team’s road uni was blue-ish in that year, not a true gray as shown in the photo.

2. It would have taken me a little time to figure this out, but Olbermann immediately recognized that dugout as belonging to Tiger Stadium.

3. The big oddity, of course, is the cap. What’s up with that?

The first issue is the color of the cap. It matches the color of the uniform, and I’m pretty convinced that the photo was mistakenly color-corrected to make the uni seem less blue and more gray. If that’s the case, then the cap was probably light blue, just like the uni.

We already know that the Sox experimented with light blue caps during spring training of 1966. Uni designer/historian Todd Radom uncovered that nugget of info a few months back:

But did the Sox — or at least Stanky — also wear the blue caps during the regular season? After I showed the Stanky photo to Baseball Hall of Fame curator Tom Shieber, he came up with a Boston Globe item from May 19, 1666:

As you can see, Stanky had been razzed by Charlie Dressen for wearing a light blue cap. Dressen was the manager of the Tigers at the time — and the White Sox happen to have played a three-game series at Tiger Stadium on May 13-15 of that year, just a few days prior to that news item appearing the Globe.

Add all of this together and it appears that the Stanky photo was taken in May of ’66, and that Stanky wore a light blue cap for at least one game of that series in Detroit. What we don’t yet know is whether anyone else wore the blue cap, and/or how often it was worn. But it sure looks like it made the jump from spring training to the regular season, at least on one occasion. Big thanks to Keith, Todd, and Tom for adding this new entry to the MLB uni timeline.

+ + + + +

Collector’s Corner

By Brinke Guthrie

With the clock ticking on Candlestick Park’s date with the wrecking ball, check out this 1970 Giants program, signed by several big-name players, including Bobby Bonds and Gaylord Perry. Note the cover line — “Candlestick Park of the Future.” I believe they are referring to the impending move-in by the Niners, and the enclosure work that would soon be done.

• Had this! A 1990s Nike/Cowboys pullover. For you kids out there, this item is from the Cowboys first go-round with Nike, when Jerrah went rogue and cut his own deal with ’em. (The Cowboys had to go with no makers mark for one season as a result.) Also found this jacket, which had a bit of a canvas feel to it on the outside.

• The Cowboys Nike stuff was nice, but I do miss the old days of the “NFL Pro Line,” like this Russell/Steelers pullover from the 1980s.

• This auction is for a 1970s game-worn Packers polo shirt. Note the mesh-like Sand Knit construction, and the one-bar facemask facing the “wrong” way.

I LOVE branding guides like this. My favorite part is always the “things to NOT do to our mark” section.

Scott Davis|
January 28, 2014 at 8:13 am |

I love these kind of spec sheets. I understand uniformity, but god damn, they take themselves so seriously.

Mark in Shiga|
January 28, 2014 at 9:41 am |

Agreed completely. I hesitate to calculate the total humanity lost to the world when employees were forced to create that document, and then enforce.

There’s one silver lining in there, though. Looking at page 5, towards the bottom left, we can feel reassured than when the Cubs bring back their powder-blue-with-white-pinstripes road uniforms as God always intended for them to do, there will never be a Visa advertising patch on there!

terriblehuman|
January 28, 2014 at 10:04 am |

I’ve seen a million (give or take a million) of these brand guidelines, and as overly strict and self-important as they might seem, you kinda need them if you’re letting millions (literally) of vendors use your identity and you can’t be present every time someone prints a menu or puts out a sign.

Got to be a version intended for use where reproducing all the stars was especially difficult, much like the reason they redesigned it in 2010. Although I doubt that was the case here.

I think the best part of that plaque is the football/M logo.

Dumb Guy|
January 28, 2014 at 8:13 am |

Cliff Engle….So nice he’s mentioned twice (in the same listing!!).

Marc-Louis Paprzyca|
January 28, 2014 at 9:51 am |

Cliff Engle is the designer/label that made those sweaters in the 80s. I have a “Ditka” Bears one.

Dumb Guy|
January 28, 2014 at 8:14 am |

I see the SB Committee gloves are all “high-tech” with their finger tip thingy so you can use your iphone. (I’m assuming that what that is)

ScottyM|
January 28, 2014 at 8:53 am |

Man, that’s a lot of swag for volunteers. Anybody know how many are participating on this host committee? And did the NFL-host city do this in other cold weather cities like Indy?

Adam N.|
January 28, 2014 at 9:07 am |

I’m really hoping the SB comes to the new Vikings stadium so I can volunteer and get my hands on similar gear.

Alan K|
January 28, 2014 at 10:57 am |

correct.

Christopher|
January 28, 2014 at 8:22 am |

“The Blazers might not be altering their home or away jerseys after all. I guess they didn’t see any of the great Uni Watch reader redesigns last month.”

Looks to me like they did, since they link to another article specifically discussing the Uni Watch reader designs.

walter|
January 28, 2014 at 9:20 am |

Frankly, it would surprise me if the Blazers changed their uniforms in a substantial way. They’ve been going with some variation of the “safety patrol” stripe since the year after they won the NBA title. That’s a healthy stretch.

Scott Davis|
January 28, 2014 at 8:40 am |

Jeffrey, did the Host Committee happen to charge volunteers for that box of stuff?

My neighbors used to volunteer for the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston every year, and the box of stuff they would get (typically a t-shirt, windbreaker, baseball cap) would end up costing them about $65-$70 each.

Mark in Shiga|
January 28, 2014 at 9:43 am |

The volunteers had to pay!? For advertising-festooned near-worthless swag that will be forgotten right after the event is over? That’s crazy.

Alan K|
January 28, 2014 at 9:46 am |

No, we didnt have to pay. It is all free swag!

Mike|
January 28, 2014 at 10:24 am |

Thanks for sharing, Jeff. That was cool to see. Given the weather this winter in north Jersey, I hope all that stuff is warm enough! Question, did they ask for your size before sending out the goods? Or is it like one size fits few? And it’s all like XL? So if someone who normally wears a SMALL, they end up swimming in the stuff they are wearing…

Scott Davis|
January 28, 2014 at 1:33 pm |

Nice haul for free!

I just checked the Deutsche Bank page. It went up to $80 to be a “volunteer” this year (under the “Packages” tab).

No, just to answer a couple of questions – No, we were not charged for our gear. Yes, we did have to supple our size. Also, it’s my understanding that this is way more gear than it typical for volunteers, due to the obviously unique weather circumstances. Since I’m working my first shift this afternoon/evening outdoors, I certainly hope it’s warm enough!

Thresh8|
January 28, 2014 at 12:36 pm |

I’m a northeasterner who’s worked a bunch of famous events, but none of them in the middle of winter, and will second on how the stuff is basically always free.

I’m looking forward on a report of how warm you keep when you bundle all the stuff on you. So much volunteer work is standing around outdoors, which is pretty amusing when I think of all the running, cycling, triathleting and such being done right by me.

Mike|
January 28, 2014 at 1:49 pm |

Thanks for the response. I’m right down the road, so I know how cold it is. Stay warm, today. And if you do hop on the the boards tomorrow, do let us know if the stuff was warm enough.

ScottyM|
January 28, 2014 at 8:50 am |

Kudos to the Portland Trailblazers’ management team for NOT accepting substandard design from adidas. They weren’t “wowed,” so they decided against change. Maybe there’s hope.

Only if you don’t receive a benefit in return for your $5,000. So hope for a lousy game.

arrScott|
January 28, 2014 at 10:16 am |

No, because you have to subtract the value of any good or service received from the value of a charitable deduction. But simply writing a check to the NFL as a donation? Good question. Probably not, since federal corporation law recognizes several classes of nonprofits to whom gifts are not tax-deductible. (You can’t deduct donations to political campaigns or parties, for example, even though campaigns and parties are nonprofit entities.) As a 501(c)(6) entity, the NFL is likely not a deductible charity.

terriblehuman|
January 28, 2014 at 10:01 am |

I don’t see why NFL being a non-profit is such a big deal to people (other than its utility as a tax dodge for member teams, obviously). It’s not that different from a trade association for for-profit corporations.

DenverGregg|
January 28, 2014 at 10:26 am |

I guess folks get bent about NFL because of the tv deals, licensing, etc. that generate bigger bucks than are generated by most trade associations (the AMA with their cash cow called CPT would be a prominent exception). The NFL cash, though, mostly flows through to the member clubs which are generally taxable entities.

terriblehuman|
January 28, 2014 at 11:37 am |

I kinda get that, and I guess people don’t get that NFL itself doesn’t actually see that money. It’s meant as a loss leader that negotiates deals and handles litigation, etc.

arrScott|
January 28, 2014 at 11:49 am |

It’s not that different from a trade association for for-profit corporations.

The legal status is not different at all – same section of the tax code.

But the actual real-life statuses of the two are nothing at all alike. That’s part of what rubs me wrong. The National Association of Mustard Makers is an association of independent businesses that promotes their collective interests. The NFL is a single business entity that sells the product of professional football. There is no real similarity between the relationships of Heinz and French’s in the mustard business and the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos in the football business.

DenverGregg|
January 28, 2014 at 12:41 pm |

True. Heinz could do great without French’s. Each NFL team needs suitable opposing teams.

Padday|
January 28, 2014 at 2:49 pm |

Also, I’m pretty sure that the National Association of Mustard Makers couldn’t get away with using unpaid labour to pick mustard seeds or something by calling them “volunteers”.

terriblehuman|
January 28, 2014 at 2:55 pm |

Though, and I’m probably trying too hard to keep the comparison going, the National Association of Mustard Makers could conceivably have volunteers working at the annual Mustard Makers of America convention.

DenverGregg|
January 28, 2014 at 3:47 pm |

They could get away with that if they called them “interns”.

terriblehuman|
January 28, 2014 at 4:40 pm |

They *could*, though using interns in a non-educational manner is even more illegal than abusing volunteers.

DenverGregg|
January 28, 2014 at 7:13 pm |

ROFL!

David|
January 28, 2014 at 9:08 am |

On the USC batting helmets, it looks like the one in the lower left corner is horribly off-center.

Steve Z|
January 28, 2014 at 9:27 am |

I love how on the Arsenal page announcing the Puma deal there’s still a nike logo listed with the sponsors.

Ah, yes. The awkwardness of introducing your future wife while still being married to your first one.

Bud|
January 28, 2014 at 9:52 am |

I just noticed that most of the stock photos of the Diamond Era caps on mlb.com are different now than they were last year. Seems a bit unnecessary, but the angle suggests maybe they’re not as box-y now as they used to be…did they switch pictures because maybe they’re being assembled differently? Is there a way someone can look into this more?

On a more serious note – today is “Bell Let’s Talk” day in Canada, in which people are encouraged to talk about mental illness and depression in particular to try and take some of the stigma away and in particular to let people who are suffering know that they aren’t alone in their suffering, to seek help.

“We didn’t have to roll out and be the Reno – I can’t even imagine – Mountain Goats or God knows what. We didn’t need to be the Reno Ewoks.” – Aces marketing director Brett McGinness

John Q|
January 28, 2014 at 4:46 pm |

I don’t understand why they need “volunteers” for the super bowl host committee?? They’re making massive amounts of money from this thing, they couldn’t pay these people something??

terriblehuman|
January 28, 2014 at 7:25 pm |

To paraphrase an old saying, no company ever got rich by paying market-rate, living wages to service employees (unless you count Trader Joe’s, Uniqlo, Costco, Whole Foods…).

Troy Munn|
January 31, 2014 at 10:20 am |

Regardless of anyone’s particular view of the Redskins’ name controversy, it’s not rational to assert that because DeMaurice Smith is black and most of the players he represents is black edifies the position that the only people who defend the name are white. Perhaps the majority of people who support the ‘Skins name is white, but the Smith assertion doesn’t support that position.